'Getting him out was scary,' added dive coach Greg Louganis. 'He's got a long road ahead of him.'

He's come a long way: When training began six weeks ago the comedian couldn't even get out of the swimming pool

Bold move: The funnyman had never before dived from such a high board

And he fought back tears as he admitted that he had been given a chance to become more healthy.

'My goal is that I'm going to be getting out of the pool on my own. It's like a miracle that I was given this opportunity. It's like someone was looking out for me.'

'You keep up the good work,' said fellow contestant Kareem Abdul-Jabaar.

'He's one of the top 50 players of all time,' Louie said of Kareem. 'And he's telling me I can do it.'

It paid off: Louie was awarded for his courage with an impressive score of seven-and-a-half

Touching: The star said that he was dedicating his dive to the troops and veterans around the world

That was six weeks ago - now he says he has come a long way. He added: 'Tonight my goal is to shock everyone at how far I've progressed.'

He donned a black and camouflage-coloured wetsuit for his big moment - and joked that he had to be CARRIED to the diving board.

'I had to find my inner diver. He was buried very deep obviously,' he laughed as he readied himself to dive off the 16 ft board. 'When I was a kid I could never get up the rope in gym class, so this is my rope.'

He said he was dedicating his dive for the troops and veterans around the world. 'I'm diving for you!' he said.

Pushing himself: Louie initially went to jump off the 16ft board, but then decided to go higher

The name of the game: The 417lbs star certainly made a big Splash when he entered the water from such a great height

He looked nervous as he shuffled to the edge - then said he wanted to dive off a HIGHER platform, as the other contestants looked stunned.

Judge Steve Foley said: 'You looked like Tarzan as you took off, doing that swan dive.
As you got closer to the water it resembled [Tarzan parody] George of
the Jungle. But that's OK, because I'm in shock that you had the
courage.'

He said he was 'inspired' to give Louie seven points after he decided to dive off the higher board for the first time.

Fellow judge, Olympic gold medal winner David Boudia added: 'You're breaking your goals left and right. You can't even get out the pool the first day. That's insane.

'Humiliating': Louie said it was tough as in the beginning he struggled even to get out of the water

A tough start: Louie revealed that the first day of training was the worst as he had to be dragged out of the water

'You're taking a step in the right
direction for a healthier lifestyle and that's way better than a score
I'll ever give. I'm going to score you a seven-and-a-half though.'

'I got here and I said, 'I've got to make an impact because I have a disadvantage',' he told host Charissa Thompson.

'My dad was a veteran,' he said after his dive, his voice breaking with emotion. 'That's why I did this.'

The points were enough to keep him in the show for at least another week.